1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical binders. More specifically the present invention is a post-operative support binder for female patients after vaginal or caesarian deliveries, abdominoplasty, or laparoscopic procedures. The present invention is designed to put pressure on the Pfannenstiel incisional area to prevent swelling. The invention is further designed to hold hot or cold packs, pain relief devices, sandbags to apply additional pressure, or drainage receptacles.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Patients who have undergone abdominoplasty, caesarian sections, or laparoscopic procedures have difficulty with swelling and pain post-operatively. Post operative binders are used to help alleviate this swelling and pain. However, none of the post operative binders revealed in the prior art provides pressure in the Pfannenstiel incisional area to reduce the swelling. Moreover, none of these binders provide pain relief mechanisms such as the incorporation of hot or cold packs or portable medicinal pumps into the binder.
Many of the medical binders revealed in the prior art do not relate to post operative procedures. These binders merely provide back support, abdominal support for pregnant or obese people, hip support, or rib cage protection. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,639 issued to Marcus in 1991 teaches a back support adapted to be worn about a person's waist to provide both sacrolumbar support and comfortability to pregnant women or obese people. U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,628 issued to Shunichirou in 2002 discloses a girdle for relieving lumbago (the deterioration and damage of the gluteus maximus muscle) and easing one's lumbar. U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,039 issued to Ford in 1996 teaches an abdominal support which transfers abdominal weight to the shoulders of a pregnant or obese person. U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,175 issued to Tanaka in 1999 discloses a medical corset for compression and protection of the sacroiliac and hip joint regions of a patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,197 issued to Castiglia in 1997 teaches a body support or protection appliance for protection and support of the rib cage area. U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,044 issued to Frangi et al. in 2000 teaches an elastic waistband provided with stiffeners to provide protection in sporting events or protection after an injury. While all of the aforementioned references provide some type of support or protection binder, none of these references provide support in the lower abdominal or pelvic region nor do they address the problem of pain and swelling that occurs post-operatively.
Other references revealed in the prior art do address post operative procedures. However, none of these references apply pressure in the Pfannenstiel region nor do they provide pain relief mechanisms. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,963 issued to Hall in 1996 teaches a dressing holder providing non-constrictive dressing for the abdomen and accommodates bags, drains, and other devices exiting the abdominal wall. Because the '963 patent teaches a non-constrictive dressing, it does not teach the application of any pressure to the wound area. U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,702 issued to Carn et al. in 1995 teaches a soft tissue support garment for hip and shoulder wounds, and therefore, does not teach the application of pressure to the Pfannenstiel region. U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,864 issued to Pegg in 1941 teaches an abdominal bandage with a plurality of strips extending outwardly from the back section which are overlapped at a slight angle to increase the adherence to one another. The strips are angled away from the pelvic region and are overlapped to increase adherence not to increase pressure to the abdominal or pelvic region. Accordingly, the '864 patent does not teach the application of pressure to the Pfannenstiel region but actually teaches away from such pressure. U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,369 issued to Lebovic in 2001 teaches a binder to apply pressure to the wound area of a patient who has undergone a mastectomy or other type of chest surgery. However, the '369 patent does not teach any application in the pelvic region. U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,879 issued to Stalder in 1974 teaches a waist support and hip girdle to aid in relieving pain in patients with kidney or spinal injuries. Additionally, the '879 patent teaches the support of the bellies of obese or pregnant people. However, the '879 patent also fails teach the application of pressure in the Pfannenstiel region nor does it disclose a means for pain relief to this region.
Some recent inventions on postoperative binders are teaching the use of inelastic materials instead of elastic materials, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,599,290 and 6,270,469. Although the '469 patent teaches the reduction of pain by applying support to the incisional area post-operatively, the '469 patent explicitly teaches that mechanical compression should use an inelastic material instead of elastic materials. Additionally, the '469 patent fails to teach the application of pressure to the Pfannenstiel region, and due to the inelastic nature of the binder, the '469 patent does not allow for flexible pockets that can accommodate hot or cold pads or other pain relief devices.